Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
16
CHAPTER
Adhesion Molecules in Kidney Diseases
Maurizio Li Vecchi
1
and Giuseppe Montalto
2, *
1
Chair of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular and
Renal Disease, Università di Palermo, via del Vespro 141, 90127 Palermo, Italy,
E-mail:
livecchi@unipa.it
2
Chair of Internal Medicine, Department of Clinical Medicine and Emerging
Pathologies, Università di Palermo, via del Vespro 141, 90127 Palermo, Italy,
E-mail:
gmontal@unipa.it
ABSTRACT
Cell adhesion molecules are crucial to many biological processes, such as cell-
cell and cell-substrate adhesion, and in some cases they act as regulators of
intracellular signaling cascades. Adhesion molecules mediate leukocyte adhesion
to endothelial, epithelial and mesangial cells and facilitate communication between
cells and extracellular matrix proteins.
In the kidney, the specii c permeability and transport properties of the
nephron segments are determined by the cyto-architecture of the epithelial
cells and by the cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions which involve specialized
junctional complexes composed of specii c cell adhesion molecules. Disorders in
the functioning of these molecules may af ect the normal absorption/excretion
of l uid and solutes. Abundant experimental and clinical evidence indicates that
adhesion molecules play a critical role in mediating the inl ammatory disease
process characterized by tissue leukocyte ini ltration. Injury to the kidney triggers
a cascade of events leading to changes in the expression of these molecules,
conditioning the anatomical and clinical evolution of kidney disease. h is chapter
summarizes the families of adhesion molecules, including claudins, integrins,
the immunoglobulin superfamily, and cadherins; their expression in normal
kidney tissue; and the pathophysiological role they play in some types of kidney
disease including membranous glomerulonephritis, IgA nephropathy, crescentic
glomerulonephritis, glomerulosclerosis, renal cyst, acute renal failure, chronic
renal failure, hemo
dialysis and renal transplant rejection.
